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Dunedin Wants Grant To Pay For Tree Count
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Published: May 24, 2008
DUNEDIN - Counting every tree on public property in the city can be a difficult and costly task, but local parks officials want to try.
City Manager Rob DiSpirito said such a tree inventory would give the city a wealth of information with which to better manage the urban forest on its land. The inventory would also improve public safety, he said.
Art Finn, city parks superintendent, received City Commission approval to apply to the Florida Division of Forestry for an Urban and Community Forestry Matching Grant.
The money would be used to compile a computerized registry of the city's tree canopy. The plan is to inventory all trees along street rights of way, in parks and around public buildings.
The city wants $20,000 from the federally funded, state-managed grant program and would match the grant with $3,000 from its Tree Bank fund, Finn noted.
The city completed a tree survey in 2001 that tallied more than 7,350 trees in public places. Since then, however, trees in the city were threatened by a prolonged drought and then a pair of hurricanes packing high winds, Finn noted.
The inventory can give the city information on the health of its trees and suggested maintenance.
The survey would identify potentially hazardous trees that should be removed. Such trees could fall, injuring people or damaging property, because they are diseased or damaged or near the end of their normal life spans, according to Finn.
In addition, the inventory could also identify areas in which more trees are needed.
During the proposed inventory, each tree will be inspected by the city arborist and receive a health assessment, Finn said. The arborist and tree crews will work on the project as part of the city's match.
Special software will be purchased to provide the location of trees on city maps.
Mark Schantz can be reached at 727-815-1075 or mschantz@suncoastnews.com.
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